I am over the moon excited for a friend of mine who has just opened Chicagoland’s first vegan shoe store. Pinch me, I must be dreaming!

The store boasts “Beautiful shoes with beautiful souls.” These shoes are Vegan, eco-friendly and ethically produced!

Alisha Kettner with her husband Kris, opened this little gem in Oak Park, Illinois on August 6th, 2014. Their grand opening will be this weekend Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11-6. I am excited to be going for the ribbon cutting, which is first thing Friday. I would love to see you there! See below for details.

Some people are very curious… why vegan shoes? Alisha recently had a great interview with Ashley Gilday. Here is a little insight from Alisha:

“I learned of the toxic chemicals used to prepare the animal skins (into leather), the contamination of waterways, the massive amounts of water used, the high incidence of cancer in leather tannery workers, the frequent child-labor involved and the animal abuse, specific to the leather industry. The thing that really pushed me over the edge was learning that some of the leather we buy can be cat or dog skin!”

I personally learned the ugly truth about the leather industry from the much recommended documentary Earthlings. We all think we know before we dig deeper, but we really have noooooo freakin’ idea. I have had dreams of shopping at a vegan shoe store ever since.

I met Alisha a few years ago when she was a beautiful bride (and vegetarian at the time). I had the pleasure of doing her wedding hair. One wonderful day, while we were practicing her updo we had a conversation about vegetarian vs. vegan. She wondered how I could live without cheese as a vegan, and I shared with her a little truth about the dairy industry. Voila, another vegan couple was born. I say couple because Alisha’s wonderful husband Kris followed her lead. Well, I guess it really wasn’t voila… it was actually after doing her own homework and research that she came to the vegan conclusion. But still, isn’t that cool? I had no idea that a little inspiration and meaningful conversation would lead to a much needed vegan shoe boutique! YOU are ALL very welcome. Lol!

I always say, if I can inspire just one person, it’s all worthwhile… and this is really really exciting for me because Alisha is someone I am so proud to have inspired, and in turn she will inspire so many more through her beautiful store. You never know who you might inspire or how you might play an important role in others lives. So vegans… please keep on being your awesome vegan selves and sharing your light and your knowledge. We are making a difference!

Again, this weekend will be the grand opening of Amour de la Terre at 130 N. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60301. Come see it for yourself and enjoy some snacks and enter the raffle. It is sure to be a fabulous time. By the way, you certainly don’t need to be vegan to visit Amour de la Terre. Beautiful shoes are beautiful shoes. And if veganism is a new concept that speaks to you, taking “steps” toward a better planet while rocking some cool shoes is an awesome start. You can find Amour de la Terre at their website: Amour de la Terre,on Facebook, and on Instagram

See you soon,

~The Karmatarian

UPDATE: PHOTO GALLERY OF THE GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION 8/22/2014!!!

Yay!! The Ribbon Cutting!

Phenomenal vegan cake by none other than the Chicago Diner! BEST cake I have had!

That’s me in the pink with Alisha and Kris, the owners

Beautiful vegan food each day of the grand opening celebration. It was amazing. I believe it was catered by Munch.

Me and one of the most beautiful souls I know, my great friend Maureen.

I met another fabulous vegan blogger named Ashley Gilday. Check out her amazing blog at Ashleygilday.com

I had intentions of taking photos of all the shoes but I got to mingling… all of the shoes are gorgeous!